Shanghai Bus Teminal

I saw a documentary of "Shanghai Bus Terminal" some days ago. From Discovery. I happened to tune on, and stayed there, fixated, after the first glimpse. You know, I got to get to know my city somehow.

How pathetic am I, I asked myself, but decided not to listen to myself. As I said, I got to get to know my city, and it is not like I really have time to sit around in the bus terminal itself. Or that I would actually understand what people are speaking, if I would sit there (especially if they speak shanghainese instead of mandarin. Shanghainese is a whole another language. I only know hello= ni hao = nong hao (the 'a' doesn't sound in this last one). So anyway, this was much better way to do it anyway, because

a) it didn't involve all the pushing and barging that would be experienced in the real situation
b) it didn't involve all the smells of the real situation. Any smells of the real venue.
c) it enables me to practice my Chinese, while I still have the English subtitles to support me d) it enables me to lower the volume, unlike in the real situation

Take your pick, there are no wrong answers in this one :o)

I have come to terms with myself with things like this: while I would not like to be the whining, western expatriate, I am. While I would like to see how the "real" Chinese live and go about with their lives, I want to live mine in relatively comfortable surroundings. While I want to see the real China, not just Shanghai, the richest most western city of this huuuge country, I have not yet got it done. Or even started, really. And I am pretty darn sure that when I do, it will be from a nice five star hotel. Okei, four star will do, too. I have no problem getting wet and dirty when I am out and about. But I am a wimp, and I know it, so I want to do it from a nice, clean "base camp". Maybe it is just the lack of practice, since I haven't really had any, in several years. But here by I promise to you all, I WILL get out of my comfort zone, some day soon. You'll hear about it. Or not.

Some westerns living in this city (/country) want nothing to do with the expat community, nothing to do with the shops carrying western groceries, nothing to do with the people who have company cars in their use. In a word, those people want to chinalise themselves (ok, ok, that was probably not a word before I made it ten seconds ago, but now it is). They want to live the real Chinese life.

That's just not the way it is for me. I guess I have to give myself half-a-point for being honest to myself. I AM A WIMP.